


Edge of Light

by Sibylance



Category: Destiny (Video Games)
Genre: Many Many OCs, Multi, canon is a sandbox in which I build my own castle, found family will save the day
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-13
Updated: 2021-01-04
Packaged: 2021-03-04 21:01:39
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 13,763
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25292860
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sibylance/pseuds/Sibylance
Summary: It was never to be the burden of one guardian, one hero, one savior.That was not Her intent.They weren't meant to fit into the equation of the universe. Outcasts to their own kind...It's exactly why they'll win.-Also read as, Destiny timeline and events revisited, reworked, and rewritten to suit a more cohesive narrative that fit me and my friend's personal tastes. Headcanons and original characters to fill the gaps left behind by current lore. Basically one big AU so if you're a stickler for canon then this is not the fic for you.
Comments: 6
Kudos: 17





	1. PREFACE

**PREFACE:**

* * *

You see a lone guardian, rise from the ashes. Sometime's they're human or machine or lost children - the awoken.

Rewind.

Revert.

Restart.

Another one is reborn, just outside Russia once again. They alone, travel through the Old Cosmodrome, stumbling through a world they didn't yet know. It's always a similar pattern - you have witnessed this beginning millions of times.

Sometimes they die. Sometimes their companion - their Ghost, die. Others manage to make it farther, but their light fades eventually. It's always the same.

Retrace. Remember-

No this is not the story you remember. Something new blooms - the Garden stirs, rippling with the echo of an old, forgotten promise.

Not all paths are the same. It's never enough.

Ruin.

Ruin.

_Ruin._

You can't defeat them alone. There must be another way. You have been dreaming long enough.

Another path begins-

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Artwork commissioned by crow-and-her-four-ravens](https://crow-4-and-her-ravens.tumblr.com/post/620819492401987584/lore-book-cover-commission-for-sibylance-these)
> 
> -  
>  So it begins, let's see if I can finish editing and pump out the real first chapter tomorrow..


	2. Parallax PSm

_"Could there be another?"_

* * *

**???**

It was dark. At least she thought it was dark. It must be if there was no light to reflect off, well, _anything_. If she had a body, she couldn't see it. She simply...was. Weightless in the yawning void. Adrift in a sea of nothingness. Something had awoken her from whatever state she was. This wasn't right. She shouldn't be here. She felt a sudden presence weighing down on and all around her, urging her to fall back into blissful entropy, like a parent ushering their child back to sleep from a nightmare. But she was awake now, much to the presence's disdain.

It was then she became aware of a cacophony of voices clawing through the emptiness all around her, but their words didn't quite make it through whatever barrier that lay between them. Someone was crying - a child? Another, metallic and warm, called to her but she couldn't understand what they were saying. _Don't worry about that_ , the presence insisted. _Sleep_.

She pushed the presence away. She needed to reach them, she thought - wait why did she need to reach them? She didn't even know if they were right next to her or far away. Or who they were for that matter. She couldn't see them. Or anything. All there was, all there is, was complete and total Darkness. It was suffocating. 

And it felt-

|| We were sundered from ourselves. ||

A loud voice rippled through her entire being, so loud that her teeth would be rattling if she had them. Instinct had her attempting to cover her ears, but the sound echoed without and within, filling her to the brim with searing warmth. The other presence shrinked away, its heaviness slipping from her core. She felt it's malicious repulsion to the voice before being engulfed by more words. 

|| Our body, broken into thousands of wayward fragments. ||

|| Our mind, stilled by pure and potent fear. ||

|| Our heart, buried deep within a gentle cradle. ||

She couldn't form a cohesive thought of her own, the voice was to overpowering. A dull ache filled her after every word, like a lapse between each pounding of a headache. She didn't know how much more she could take. 

|| We gave up ourselves for you, dear children. Please do not hate us to harshly for our choice... ||

And then... sudden light burst from behind her eyelids, peeling away the dark as she felt herself propelled forward. Something braced her from hitting the ground - a pair of hands she realized. Her hands. They dug into the earthy soil, trying to cling to the ground so she wouldn't be ripped away again, plunged back into that darkness.

“Guardian? Guardian! Eyes up Guardian!” 

She lifted her head to see a tiny drone bobbing in front of her. How funny it looked, came her first thought, with its strange white shell whirring around a small center and single optic staring at her. Then her vision swam as a wave of nausea slammed into her. Coupled with the feeling of her heart hammering inside her chest, like she had been running a marathon. A small trickle of sweat slid down her cheek. When she tried to speak her throat felt like sandpaper, resulting in her coughing instead. 

“It worked. You’re alive!” If that was what she was before, she almost preferred it to this. Her limbs shook a little as she pushed herself onto her knees, which was strangely harder than she anticipated. Her body felt heavy, like her muscles were weak, as if she hadn’t used them in centuries. The creature circled around her, briefly looking her up and down before giving a nod - if a drone could nod that is. It hadn’t yet noticed or cared about her confused, shaken state yet. 

“I’m a ghost, well rather _your_ ghost..” It said brightly. The creature continued on, launching into a monologue she couldn’t pay attention to. Instead she glanced around them, eyes blinking away the remaining haze only to be replaced by growing confusion.

This was not a world she remembered.

Droves of rusted cars lay cluttered upon what could barely be called a road, leading up to a giant, dilapidated metal wall that stretched for miles. Wherever it was, it had long been abandoned. Only nature remained to claim this place. The sun was setting... or was it rising? She couldn’t tell. She had no memory of this place or how she came to be here, but she felt a strange emotion curl in her chest from it. There was something very wrong here and yet she couldn't remember why. 

The drone halted it’s monologue to hover in front of her, optic full of concern. 

“You’re crying,” it murmured, flittering back and forth. “Are you in pain? Maybe I didn’t rezz you correctly..” It started muttering to itself, rattling off names she didn’t recognize. She reached up to touch her face and realized she wasn’t sweating at all. Had she been crying this whole time? 

“Perhaps once we get you to the Vanguard, we can-“ A strangled howl rose over the wind. She snapped her head up, turning to the direction of the sound. It was unfamiliar and terrifying and she got a creeping feeling that she didn't want to stand here in the open to find out it's source.

“Fallen! We gotta move.” Ghost fizzled out of existence, causing her to jump to her feet in surprise. 

_'Don’t worry, I’m still with you. Just out of sight. We need to go. Hurry!’_ Came a voice in the back of her head. Her shoulders relaxed a little, before more distant howling prompted her to sprint into a bumbling run. At the urging of her newfound companion, she made for the crumbling wall. 

With no memory, no purpose, no goals, and a fading dream from whatever that was, the newly risen followed her little guide into the unknown. 

* * *

Unbeknownst to them, a pair of hooded strangers watched from a safe distance. They observed as the two disappeared inside the metallic structure, as well as alien creatures following close behind. They didn't dare intervene. The taller one - equipped with a rifle in hand - looked down at their companion, who hadn't taken their eyes off where the new lightbearer disappeared. "This has all happened before. Always a guardian rises here. What makes you think it'll change this time?" 

The smaller one didn't say anything for a moment. 

"Hope," she finally murmured. "We can only hope." 

**Shera**

Crisp autumn air rustled through shedding trees, relieving dead foliage from their barren branches to coat the floor. Nearby, long abandoned vehicles lay piled up outside the gate of a large metallic wall - their oxidized exteriors poking out of overgrown brush that have reclaimed the once pristine roadways. In the distance, outlines of a once bustling city could be made out. Aside from the occasional gust of wind, it was utterly quiet - the hush of incoming night crawled over the open sky. 

In essence, this place was a graveyard of those attempting to flee from before. The Old Cosmodrome. 

It didn't mean it was entirely vacant however. New sounds of boots crushing dried leaves broke the eerie silence when a pair of visitors made their way through. They weaved between obstacles with ease as one, leading the pair, held up a small device, looking between it and the looming wall to their right. 

Their faces were obscured by protective helmets, bodies equipped with matching armor and weapons. The other that trailed behind, had their arms crossed behind their head, seemingly unafraid of whatever could leap from the bones of this place. As the one in the lead paused to tap something into the device, the other heaved a sigh. 

"We've patrolled this area before, c'mon Shera, let's get back already," they whined, kicking at a fallen car door frame that broke off of it's hinges due to centuries of neglect. 

"Not until we finish this scan." Shera didn't so much as glance in her companion's direction. To used to their antics. Instead she focused her attention toward the large wall that bordered the Old Cosmodrome - their usual patrolling grounds. "It never ceases to amaze me how much of a homebody hunter you can be sometimes."

The hunter shrugged. "Listen, I like exploring but it's gotta be more exciting than this-" They jerked a thumb at the looming structure."-I mean really, a scan. On the Cosmodrome wall that we've seen a thousand times. Riveting."

"Ikora asked for this patrol, remember?"

"That somehow makes it less dull?"

Shera rolls her eyes from inside her helmet as a small robotic creature, her ghost Shayar, materializes. "Any results?"

"The epicenter of the ripples is not that far from our current spot, but I can only give a rough estimate. It's difficult to pinpoint," they replied quietly.

"We theorized this would be the case," Shera mused. "These aberrations don't appear to be Vex, so what's causing these time fluctuations-"

_**BANG! BANG! BANG!** _

A series of shots rang out, causing Shayar to dematerialize. 

"Shera! Gunfire to the south!" Her companion shouted, hopping atop the roof of a car, rifle already in hand. "Sounds like it's coming from the other side!" 

Both guardians leapt toward the noise of gunshots, now coupled with alien howling. Eliksni, or better known by humanity as the Fallen. It could be a skirmish between the Houses - the Kings and Devils may be vying for better purchase in the Cosmodrome. Though that was unlikely. The Kings have made no desire to acquire more land, letting their rivals hold the territory instead. Shera fears that they found something easier to prey upon, a lone Guardian or worse, civilians trying to cross through. The thought motivated her quicker pace. They pushed through the wall, following a series of maintenance tunnels that dumped them out just north of a barren landscape known as the Divide. Just above, a ketch ship flew overhead, exiting from slip-space into low orbit. "That's way more Eliksni than the Vanguard would care for."

"Looks like Devils colors alright. When did they get this bold? This is aggressive, even for them," Shera looked to her companion, as they clung to the wall of a nearby building while the ketch flew past. 

"I dunno, but I'll be making sure the boss hears about it."

As they continued on, Shera traded her pad for a weapon and readied herself. She could already feel the answer of void at her fingertips. Her ghost whispered, _'The strange signal is close. It's getting stronger!'_

Shera turned her head just in time to see her friend blink out of sight. They reappeared again, clinging to the wall outside an old Russian dock building - one of the many that housed various Golden Age jumpships humanity used to travel the stars. The number thirteen was painted on the exterior, though heavily faded under the light of the sun. There was also a convenient opening near the top as her friend peered in.

"Allie, see anything?" 

“Lot of dead bodies..” Allie replied grimly, before disappearing inside. Shera held out her hand as her ghost materialized, staring at her with a quizzical eye. 

“Get the ship prepped for departure just in case.” Her ghost gave a curt nod of it's shell, flying off.

Following after her friend, Shera reached for the void once more at her fingertips to launch herself through the hole. Inside, lay scattered broken monitors, empty crates and other useless items left over from scavengers picking the place clean. It was also littered with fresh corpses of four-armed aliens, the Fallen, scattered about that Allie mentioned. All wearing red armor with matching markings that pointed to the House of Devils. Some had the faint smell of burnt flesh - upon closer inspection, she noted the fading traces of solar energy pooling from their wounds. So it was a Guardian. A solar class at that.

Whomever it was, they mowed through these Fallen like they were nothing, even if it was a little sloppy. 

"Oi, hey, whoa! Easy pal," Allie's voice drifted from an adjacent room. "Just calm yourself. Uh, Shera? Can you come help me out here?" 

Shera darted through the threshold to find Allie in a standoff with said mysterious Guardian, who stood atop a suspended derelict jumpship. It was a human woman - skin a rich copper brown, framed by long, straight chocolate hair. A couple of scrapes along her nose and cheek showed clear signs of her run in with the dead aliens in the other room. Armor had seen better days too - standard set that all ghost carry around. Her narrowed, steel eyes darted between the two of them, apprehensive and confused. Shera blinked in surprise.

"Of course.. she's a newly risen," she realized aloud. Allie threw her a sideways glance. "Explains that lost, confused look in her eye and clear need for some better looking gear. Hey, new kid! Where's your Ghost?" 

At that, the Guardian jerked their rifle at Allie, fingers gripping the weapon with a desperate fierceness.

"Whoa.." Allie noted with a chuckle. "She's got spark." 

"You're not helping," Shera muttered, before she raised her hands slowly. The Guardian flipped their attention - and weapon - onto her. "We are just like you. Look-" She stashed her weapon and held her hands back out. Open. Inviting. The woman lowered her rifle slowly, but still remained on guard, body rigid and ready to spring at a moment's notice. "-I'm Shera. This is Allie. Who are you? Where's your ghost?" 

The woman hesitated. A few minutes of silence passed between them, before she dropped her rifle to her side. "I.." She closed her eyes, brow furrowed while she struggled for words. Her voice had a thick Russian accent. "I don't know my name. My...my ghost is here." As soon as she said, her Ghost materialized, hovering protectively by it's Guardian. 

"We didn't know if you were more Fallen, sorry, she's barely a couple hours old," it added from her shoulder. Shera could hear before seeing Allie's ghost materialize over their head with a huff. "Seriously? How can you not tell friend from foe? Get on my Guardian's level!" 

"Blip, play nice," Allie chastised playfully, giving it a small pat. The guardian watched their interaction and glanced down at her own ghost."Well, kid, seeing as how your new and all, we probably should take you back to the City. The big boss will wanna meet ya'. Besides, this isn’t a place you wanna stay at - to many noisy neighbors with guns and bad attitudes. You're lucky we came along and not more of them." She noted, giving a nod to the other room.

The Guardian gave a slow nod and jumped down, finally stashing away their weapon. As she approached, Shera offered her a welcoming hand, to which the guardian tentatively shook. She couldn’t help but shiver at the amount of light radiating off the woman. New and full of potential.

She was about to say something before several growls made her pause. That's...not good. 

Allie leaped between their new charge and where the sound came from - a large gaping pipe hole that once led out into the sewer system below. Without warning, Fallen poured from hole, filling the room. Shera automatically reached down to her boot and pulled out a sidearm, taking a few preemptive shots at them. 

”See? Noisy neighbors,” Allie said, whipping out her hand canon. 

One crawled out that was bigger than the rest, taking its time to pull it's hulking form from it's dark crevice. The lesser Fallen made chittering noises as they made a formation around it. Allie hissed a curse. 

"That's an Archon! A fucking Devil's Archon! Fall back, run!" 

The Fallen screamed as they lunged toward the trio. Shera immediately grabbed the newly arisen's arm and pulled her toward the exit. A couple of plasma bullets whizzed past her head, striking the nearby wall. She felt her hair stick up as Allie gathered her arc light to toss a grenade in return. A few swarmed their targets, causing the Fallen to howl and scatter. The smell of scorched flesh filled the air. They pushed open the outer doors, with Shera shouting into her comm. "We need transmat! Now! Fallen on our position!"

Another, cleaner jumpship flew in overhead long enough for the transmat range to kick in and all three materialized into the interior of Shera's ship. She glanced back long enough to see the Archon watching them from inside, before being replaced with the familiar surroundings of her ship’s cargo room.

The young Guardian fell forward, clutching her stomach. 

"Move over Shayar, I'm driving! You're to slow!" Allie grinned, hopping into the pilot seat. Shera had just helped their new charge into a seat, before snapping her head up. 

"Allie don-" The hunter jerked forward on the steering wheel. Her ship shuddered for a moment as it shifted gears and Shera could all but barely stop her ghost from hitting her face from being flung backwards. She looked over to see the poor woman clinging onto a side bar for dear life. The guardian looked up through lidded eyes, mouth pressed in a thin line. Nausea from her first transmat coupled with Allie's insane driving maneuvers, left the new guardian looking ready to puke right there.

"Sorry, she's an aggressive driver..." Shera offered a weak smile. "Lemme, uh, get you a bag though." After checking her guest over, she climbed into the co-pilot's seat. Her Ghost drifted over to a spot on the dashboard, settling into a special dock she made for him. Allie hummed to herself, to focused on driving, leaving Shera to ruminate in her thoughts.

"We didn't finish the patrol for Ikora," Shera eventually murmured, frowning.

"I know, but I still have the data we did record. Maybe she can use it," Shayar consoled. "Plus we saved those two's lives back there."

Shera looked away, catching a bit of her reflection in the nearby window. "Let's hope it's enough. I feel we were on the brink of something important."

**???**

She didn't know what to make of the Last City when they arrived. Both her ghost and the other two - Guardians they called themselves - explained as best they could over the course of the night drive. In simple terms, it was humanity's last bastion of existence. A single, final safe haven under the grace of their enigmatic savior, the Traveler.

The young guardian saw it upon approach. A powerful machine that hung over the heart of the city. Dormant, she was told. Asleep from it's fight with what caused humanity's downfall: known only as the Darkness. Now it shields humanity from all terrors that followed, including those creatures she encountered - the Fallen. She tried to make sense of all the information being thrown her way. It was... a lot to say the least. The crash course before their arrival left her with more questions than answers.

Especially for herself. Her ghost had filled in some of the gaps - she, for all intents and purposes, died. _Had_ died. Now back, by the will of the Traveler and it's chosen vessels, the ghosts. It was why she didn't remember anything from before. Apparently, that was a side-effect of being reborn by the Light.

At first, she didn't know what to say. How do you respond to something like that?? But despite how morbid that revelation was, she found herself surprisingly calm and accepting. Maybe it was the Traveler's influence or something else, but she was here now. For better or worse. 

The robed guardian, Shera, gave her a nod when the ship landed. After powering down, the two flanked her at the cargo door, awaiting for the safety protocols to switch off. It's doors opened with a pressurizing hiss. She was greeted to an already bustling hanger. Humans, robots - _exos_ , a sudden voice reminded her, and strange humanoids with various shades of blue and purple for skin color filled the area, just started going about their daily business. They landed in time for the morning rush to hit the tower. 

She stood there at the base of the ship, taking it all in. The sounds of metal scraping metal, shiprights and dock workers shouting orders to one another, repairing and building their wonderful, powerful machines. Other ships arriving or taking off, the hum of their engines cooling of or heating up. Vendor stalls opening, leading to an influx of eager customers rushing over to buy their fresh rotation of wares. Even the wafting smell of spilled oil and shipfuel, was new and interesting. She took it all in with growing fascination. So different from the desolate Cosmodrome. So full of _life_.

"C'mon, new girl," called Allie, waving her over. "You'll have plenty of time to come back here." 

The guardian hurried after both of them, leaving behind her curiosity. They exited the hanger, taking a long stairway that led them to an open courtyard. More ships flew overhead, with a steady flow of arrivals and departures, just as busy as the hanger. There was a massive overhang, accented with ship docks, overlooking a huge city. Buildings of all shapes and sizes, connected by complex road systems and airways full of transports. She also took note of a large grey wall encompassing the city. 

She caught sight of other ghosts, many in fact, buzzing overhead in their own traffic flow. Her ghost made an eager noise. ' _You're going to love this place!_ '

The next few hours, however, were less than exciting. Registration, paperwork - digitally sent to her ghost thankfully, and obtaining a ship were apparently important. Shera dutifully explained the mechanics of glimmer and trading, making a point to show her as they all grabbed lunch from a small restaurant. She blinked when they took off their helmets, revealing two beautiful colorful humanoid woman. Awoken. The Warlock, Shera, transferred some to her glimmer into the newly made account to help get her started, much to young guardian's relief. 

That was another thing. Warlock. One of the three 'classes' that made up all guardians. Allie made note to tell her that they were both the same class type. Hunters, as she put it. This would be further explained during an orientation that she would be expected to attend tomorrow. They eventually came full circle, ending back in the open courtyard for Shera to deposit an item.

"We need to check in with the Vanguard next. Ikora will have what she needs for orientation," she heard Shera say, stopping just outside a large pillar with a kiosk built into it. She pulled out a card, swiping it, before punching in a code. 

"Then we'll need to- Allie where are you going?" The hunter was already making her way across the courtyard. "Uh, taking the newbie to Speaker of course."

"We gotta check in with our superiors first," Shera narrowed her eyes.

"Yeah thanks for doing that for me sis," Allie gave a little half-hearted wave. "Say hi to Cayde for me!"

"Allie!"

"C'mon, new girl! Time to go meet the big boss," Allie called out, having reached a stairway on the opposite side of the courtyard. The guardian looked back at Shera, only to see her wave an exasperated palm. "Go on. She'll get you to where you need to go. I'll have Shayar mail the information to your ghost."

"Thank you, Shera." She bowed her head at Shera in gratitude, before running after the expectant hunter.

"So the boss - the Speaker everyone calls him - he's kind of a big deal," Allie explained as they took another flight of stairs. "He knows everything there is to know about us. One of the oldest and wisest lightbearers we have, so whatever questions I'm sure you still have, he will be the one to answer them." The hunter eventually stopped outside a large hallway and pointed to the end: a large door with intricate designs painted on it. "He's just inside there. I would stay but I, uh-" Blip materializes next to her. "-I got a hot mess to go clean up. Good luck Guardian! See you around, yeah?"

She opened her mouth to protest but the hunter already blinked away. The guardian shuffled her feet, looking down the hallway with sudden uncertainty. This was the first time she had been alone since her revival. Her ghost gave her an encouraging nudge.' _It's okay. I'm here still._ '

That's right, she wasn't really alone. Her ghost had been there by her side since she was reborn, a fact that comforted her immensely. She strode down the hallway with renewed courage, approaching the ornate door. As she reached the door and raised her hand to knock against the frame, the door abruptly opened up in time for her to nearly collide with a tall exo.

And he was _large_. He easily towered over her by a solid foot. She had seen a diverse range of exo throughout the day, but none were as big as him. The guardian instinctively felt herself step back just to make room and not breach his personal space. His armor was painted deep red and black, somehow adding to his hulking form. When he tilted his head to stare down at her, she gasped. He had no eyes that she could see, but she knew he was looking directly at her. She felt her ghost mumble something quietly about how scary he seemed. 

"Excuse me," the exo rumbled, before turning away to walk down the hallway, moving surprisingly quiet for a robot his size. 

After watching him leave, the guardian remembered why she was there and finally, _finally_ , knocked. 

"Come in," she heard through the door and pulled the handle to slip inside. The room looked something akin to a library. Shelves upon shelves of books stretching all the way to the ceiling. Strange artifacts and machines cluttered on a long table that was pushed against the opposite wall. To her left was a large, grand archway that opened into was could be described as a small, circular greenhouse, filled with plants of varying types. In an alcove to the right, hung a large portrait, but she couldn't tell who it was - most of the painting was hidden under a thick, dark cloth. There was another door as well, leading to an adjoining room off the main area. In the center stood a small ornate table, equipped with two chairs. One was occupied by a person covered head to toe in white and grey clothing, who she assumed to be the Speaker.

They turned to her, their face also obscured by a white mask, but she had a feeling he was looking right through her. Assessing her. 

"Welcome, lightbearer, I am the Speaker," he said, raising his gloved hand to gesture to the opposite chair. "Come, I have been expecting you."

"Expecting me?" The guardian repeated. He nodded. "Allie was kind enough to relay the information through one of my helpers." He looked up. She followed his gaze and nearly kicked herself for not noticing that the lights on the ceiling were actually a group of ghosts, who looked to be cataloging information on the top shelves. She slid into the seat without question, waiting expectantly for him to speak. Her ghost fizzled into existence next to her, hanging low by her shoulder.

"You must be bursting with endless query no doubt," he started. "I will try my best to answer them."

"Allie and Shera helped me out with most of the basics, but they say you know everything about us," she started slowly.

He chuckled softly at that.

"If only I knew everything about guardians," he leaned back in the chair, staring past her, gazing at the slumbering Traveler outside. "What I know is from the experiences I have learned over the centuries. I was just like you, waking to a world with no memories of before-" The guardian shifted in her seat."-as is custom of all guardians who are reborn. Some eventually regain fragments, but the life before this one is gone. You have been brought back, for what purpose we can only guess. The Traveler chose you. Your ghost - your other half - chose _you_ , for something extraordinary. Time will tell, what it could be." 

She lowered her head, feeling a sudden wave of doubt wash over her. The weight of everything caught up at once. This was not just a second chance. She was expected to fulfill some role that she had yet to fully grasp. "I don't think.."

The Speaker leaned across the table then, and with great care, placed a hand over hers. She could feel the warmth radiate off of his, enveloping her with a feeling of ease. Like she could lay down her worries at his feet and he would drive them away. Never judging. "Whatever you were before, may be gone forever. But you are here now, reborn anew to be whatever you wish. You are a guardian now, and with your ghost to guide you, your destiny is what you make of it." 

She couldn't help but smile at him and somewhere in her head, something told her he was smiling back. 

Their conversation stretched on for hours as she grew more comfortable with her endless supply of questions. The Speaker answered each and every one in kind. He seemed delighted about her eagerness to learn more. He only interrupted her once to offer her food before she hurled a barrage of new questions at him. She liked the Speaker, she decided, despite her reservations before. He was easy to talk to, and there was an air about him that reminded her of a withered old grandfather. Gentle and warm. Eventually her curiosity was sated for the time being as the conversation filtered out to quiet contemplation.

"Before I forget, here," the Speaker said after a half-hour of silence, sliding over a folded piece of paper that she noted from earlier he scribbled something onto. "It's a clan recommendation. They are a unique group that I feel you will fit in quite nicely. It's good to have people to rely on - we were not made to handle our duty alone. They will help you get started." She gave a nod and took the paper, tucking it away.

"Thank you for, well, talking with me," she stood up from her seat, causing her ghost to jerk awake. It had taken a spot upon the table where it went into some sort of sleep cycle. The Speaker mirrored her, rising up from his own chair to guide her to the door.

It was then when she turned around, that she noticed a small table near the doorway. It was small, tucked away and seemed so trivial that she wouldn't have taken any interest if not for what was sitting on it. Resting atop the table, under a protective glass case, lay a metal helmet. It was dark grey in color, topped with a rustic crest. It looked worn, covered in dents and scratches from unknown battles. At an initial glance, it wasn't anything special, just an old helmet that was probably kept for sentimental reason. And yet...here she was, drawn to it. The Speaker noticed her sudden fixation. "Ah. That belonged to one of the greatest Guardians we ever had: Saint-14."

"'Had?'"

"Yes, he is sadly no longer with us, but the city still sings of his victories to this day," the Speaker murmured. There was a new tone in his voice. He almost sounded.. regretful. "He was truly one of a kind." 

She continued to stare at the helmet and wondered what about it was so familiar. Why does it fascinate her so? The answer was on the tip of her tongue.

"His victories..." She repeated, before gasping. A revelation clicked in her brain. The thin veil clouding her memory lifted ever so slightly. She could feel a ripple of emotion from her ghost as they understood. A single word floated from the depths, into the forefront of her thoughts. She was-

" _Victoria_! I remembered!" She whirled around to the Speaker, who watched her, considering. "My name is Victoria."

"Victoria.." He tested her name with a nod. "That is a good name, a strong name. It's nice to meet you, Victoria. Welcome to the Last City." 

She beamed.

* * *

After backtracking, asking directions, and nearly throttling her ghost who apparently already obtained a map of the tower, Victoria turned up at her intended destination. It was one of the lower levels of the tower. A dedicated floor for any and all kinds of recruitment. Groups of chattering guardians, stood crowding different booths, scribbling their names onto lists, hoping to land a spot in the most sought after clans. Several screens plastered the walls, calling for positions in fireteams that needed filling. Some advertised crucible games, blaring names of top contenders. Whoops of laughter and cries could be heard all around her.

She weaved through the crowd to approach a desk at the end of the room, where a pair of humans were deep in conversation.

"-o way. Those guys are always telling wild stories. Hunters are notorious liars after all," huffed one, who looked like a warlock. Their robes glittered and gleamed under the light. A lot of glimmer, materials, and dedication were poured into the garments. She couldn’t help but gape.

"I dunno. Even other classes have said they spotted Shade in the outskirts. Being just outside the city is to close for comfort," the other, wearing the sigil of the titan class, visibly shuddered. "That's bad karma, getting Shade to come after you."

"Excuse me?" Victoria cut in with a small wave. "I'm trying to find a clan. I got a recommendation for one."

"Oh yeah? Who'd you get newbie?" She slid over her folded paper. The warlock opened it, their expression transforming from one of pure boredom to total confusion. "Is this a joke? Happy Home? Sorry kid, but I think you just got pranked." 

Victoria glanced at her ghost, then back to the humans. "..I don't understand, the Speaker himself recommended it to me. What's so bad about them?"

The titan muffled a snicker, earning a half-glare from his companion. "Trust us, you don't wanna join them. I dunno what the old man was thinking, but this has got to be hands down, the _worst_ clan you could be put in." 

"Yeah, cause they're all a clan of rejects," muttered the titan between bouts of laughter. Victoria leveled a sharp gaze at the titan. That insult didn't settle right with her. She didn't know these people, but that didn't matter. The Speaker wouldn’t have sent her to them by mistake. Victoria was about to open her mouth in protest, when another voice cut through the chattering.

"There you are! We have been looking for all over for you." 

Victoria turned and nearly jumped out of her skin when she saw the same imposing exo from before, approaching them. Now accompanied by another ghost. She gulped. 

"Oh hey, it's Zealot!" The titan straightened up."Great match the other day. You killed it on the field." 

The exo, Zealot, ignored them, staring directly at her. She shrunk a little.

"We have been looking for you," he started quietly, with the ghost piping up to continue. "I'm Mystique and this is my guardian, Zealot. It's a pleasure to meet you. We were told you were given an invitation to Happy Home. Is this true?" She nodded. "Excellent! We have come to escort you there." 

Victoria could almost hear the warlock's jaw hit the desk as the titan stumbled over his words. "Whoa, _whoa_ , whatcha mean, Zealot?? _You're_ a part of Happy Home? Since when?" 

Zealot, again, ignored the pair of humans, keeping his gaze trained on her. Waiting. Victoria blinked. "I, uh, sure..thank you."

Mystique nodded approvingly. "Now if you two fine gentlemen, with your less-than-average KD's, don't mind, We'll be on our way." The titan made a choked noise, but the warlock stood up at that with a growl, jabbing a finger in her direction. "Watch your tone, light bulb.."

"Or what?" The ghost challenged. The warlock continue to glare, but after checking a glance at Zealot, decided to sit back down in a huff. Picking a fight with the exo would’ve been a bad move and they knew it. Didn’t mean they wouldn’t continue eying them maliciously. 

"She's cool," Victoria heard her ghost comment from the safety of her hood. She felt inclined to agree.

Victoria followed Zealot out and away from the judging human's eyes. As they walked, Mystique chattered along the way, asking her questions about her experience since she arrived. Zealot remained quiet most of the way, only stating with minimal words that they would have to take a land vehicle to Happy Home’s base of operations. It was already dark by the time they started driving, forcing her to squint out the window. Nothing but shrubs, grass and sparse trees stared back. 

Another half-hour passes before any scenary changed - lights blinked into existence on the horizon. A clump of buildings soon came into view. There looked to be around four or five structures, strung together by man-made walkways built in between. In the distance, a large landing pad held several powered down ships. Zealot pulled up to the entrance of what looked like the main building. Victoria stepped out, trailing behind Zealot, who walked up the stairs with easing familiarity. As he pushed open the door, Victoria was greeted with the sight of a pair of awoken, neck-deep in an argument. Or rather one was yelling, while the other looked unconcerned.

"Next time, tell us before you go offering positions that we don't have open," said the man, waving an arm around them. "Do we look like we can take in more people right now?" 

"Don't worry about it, Speaker gave his approval," the other, a woman, answered coolly. Victoria blinked. Not just any woman. She looked like-

"Allie, I brought her," Zealot said. Allie and the other awoken stopped their bickering to face them. Allie threw them a big grin, sauntering over. "Hey newbie, you made it. Welcome!"

"You're part of Happy Home?" 

"Yup! Oh, and this grump is my brother, Kian," she added, pulling the other awoken forward. He looked annoyed but otherwise cleared his throat. "Hello, miss, um..." 

"Victoria," she finished. Allie's brows rose. "You remembered? Nice!" 

Zealot took the moment to give curt nod at Allie, turning to leave. 

"Oh! Um, Zealot?" He glanced back. Victoria offered him a small smile. "Thank you for escorting me." 

The exo stared at her for a few more seconds of bordering awkward silence, before giving another nod and walking away.

"He's not much of a talker. Now then! I got a room just for you. It’s got a bed and a drawers, but you can do what you want with it. Bathrooms are at the end of the hallway. Once you get a good night's sleep, we'll get you at the training range tomorrow and get you a better set of gear." Allie steered her up two flights of stairs and a long hallway, where she stopped outside one of the doorways. "Here you go! One five-star room for a brand new guardian. You arrived just after a patrol shift so everyone is either out or asleep. Don't worry, you'll meet the full crew over the coming weeks." 

"Thanks, Allie." 

"Hey, you're one of us now. Part of the family." She wanted to ask why, but decided to bite down the question. Instead she opted to smile back. After Allie left, Victoria dropped onto the bed and slung an arm over her face. Her ghost floated around the room, inspecting everything. “Well, it’s not much, but it’s a start.” 

“Yeah...” A random thought seized her and she sat up. “I remembered my name, but...you don’t have one. Why’s that?” 

The ghost turned to her. “Wasn’t born with one and, well, never really bothered about it. I was more concerned with finding you.”

”What about now?” 

Her ghost pondered the question, tilting it's shell, then finally said, "Ghost is fine, unless you want to name me something else.”

”How about...” She tapped her chin. “Spectre.”

”Spectre, huh?“

“It’s like a fancy name for ghost.” Her ghost sat there, spinning it’s shell in consideration. “I like it. Spectre. Spectre and Victoria.”

Victoria nodded through lidded eyes. Sleep crept up on her as she sank back into the sheets. She had only been alive for barely two days. There was so much she still didn't understand, but she wanted to try. To learn. To find out her place in this strange, interesting world. But for now, she needed the rest. Something told her she would need it for the coming days.

“G’night Spectre..” She mumbled after awhile.

”Good night, Victoria.” 

That night, she dreamed of the dark void from before. Except this time there was a singular tree. It looked withered and sickly, glowing faintly against the blackness. All alone in it’s struggle.

She tried to reach out to it, but her arms felt heavy. Branches creaked and groaned in agony. One by one, they started breaking off. The tree was peeling away, it’s pieces fading into the void. It was being ripped apart by the darkness and Victoria could only watch, struggling helplessly against her invisible chains. Wild howled in her ears, drowning out her cries. She had to reach the tree. Something in her, urged her to do so. 

More and more, strips were yanked away, until all but a stump remained. And still she could only watch. It was as if the darkness wanted her to see this. 

Like a warning. And a new promise.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *The chapter names are based off of weapons/armor + their descriptions from the game, so every chapter I'll name will also include said weapon/armor and the flavor text that matches them.
> 
> *Shera belongs to Biozonic ([x](https://biozonic.tumblr.com//))([x](https://twitter.com/Biozonic/))
> 
> *Zealot belongs to Sup3rray([x](https://sup3rray.tumblr.com/))  
> -  
> Did I say tomorrow, I meant over a week rip. Oh well, we in it now bois. This is totally not terrifying to put out as I pretend I know what I’m doing ;;;


	3. Comitatus

_"Forge a new fellowship."_

* * *

**Kian**

Every third beep, Kian felt his eyebrow twitch. He'd been staring at the collage of documents strewn about his desk all morning. Coffee had worn off three hours ago and he felt no inclination to grab another. It wouldn't help him or his predicament. The titan heaved a sigh and slumped back in his chair, rubbing his eyes to chase away the words that burned into his mind. 

Clans were under the jurisdiction of the Vanguard and as such, required a certain amount of pay for their upkeep. Weapons and armor, sure, but fuel, lodging and yes even food to keep Guardians going efficiently. It all needed a steady flow of glimmer. Most of the time Guardians were paid considerably for the various bounties they completed - which doubled with whatever Guardians found beyond the city to keep for themselves. Or earn your fame in the crucible or sparrow racing, receiving pay in the form of desirable weapons and funds that are gifted from pleased fans.

At least that's how it normally worked. Happy Home didn't run under those same parameters.

They were barely even considered a legitimate clan in the eyes of their peers. And while that didn't bother Kian as much, it did cripple their ability to get decent bounties. It led them to funnel their efforts to less glamorous means of income. City dwellers and non-guardians had no shortage of problems, with only a few scraping enough glimmer to get put on notice boards. Ones that didn't have huge payouts or interesting gear were left to deal with their issues. 

That didn't mean they weren't worth pursuing. What wasn't payed for in glimmer, was often replaced by other desired materials. Food, fuel, components to build or repair their equipment. Allie insisted that it would improve their relations with lightless city-dwellers. The barrier between Guardians and those they protect was tumulus at best. Years upon years of imposed restrictions and strict rules left the city less trusting of their protectors. The situation of losing ground around the Last City forced Guardians to monitor and control who left or returned the city. Which meant any who weren't risen, were forced to remain within the walls for their own protection.

It wasn't ideal, but Kian wasn't sure how they could remedy the situation. Not unless they could gain a stronger presence outside the city. Maybe even establish a secondary-

"You're not out on patrol?" He looked up to see a visitor standing at the threshold to his office - an exo with a dark metallic face and piecing red optics. 

"Blackborne. Didn't expect you back so soon," Kian made a gesture for the exo to sit. Blackborne-16 moved with ease into the opposite chair, his skills as a hunter have shaped his movements to be quick and quiet. Despite being a living, breathing machine, Kian wouldn't have known he was there if he hadn't said anything first.

"I was only gone for a week and I heard Luna is accessible again," he folded his arms, raising an eye ridge. "Who green-lit that?" 

"Speaker. He said it was time to retake the moon."

"And the real reason?" Blackborne was always quick to see past the bullshit.

"Our fellow newcomer found information that the Hive are active... on Earth," Kian pushed a datapad over. "No point in quarantining the moon if they're already here. Hence strike teams are already engaging them as we speak." 

"New kid has been surprisingly competent. Actually not really surprising, considering Zealot is her mentor." Kian pursed his lips. While Victoria had been the one to help make the moon accessible to all guardians, it was not without consequences. He was not about to mention the near-disaster that could've befallen their newest member when she broke quarantine to pursue the Hive on luna - nor the fact that she went _alone_. The Vanguard was in a state of near panic and upon her return, almost threw the book at her, had the Speaker not intervened. Only through the agreement that she be under constant supervision for the remainder of her training, was Zavala finally relenting in his pursuit. 

Thankfully Zealot was an understanding exo - he acknowledged the risks of her running off alone again.

Blackborne skimmed over the datapad. He looked uninterested in the details, but Kian knew his exo mind has already memorized it's contents. "Either way, hopefully more work has opened up for us if everyone is enamored with the moon."

"Actually, there is something that was passed down to us," Kian laced his hands together. "Thought you might be interested." 

Blackborne slid the datapad back. "Yeah? What might that be?" His voice box fritzed slightly at the end of his question - he was curious.

"There is rumor of something in Old Russia. A certain golden age AI may be present there, but also heavy Fallen activity as well. They're searching for something."

"You have my attention. Send me the coordinates."

Kian held up a hand as the exo started to get up. "Take Mantis and Blair with you. We don't know how he'll respond. That is _not_ a request, Blackborne."

The exo huffed in annoyance. "Fine, tell them to meet me in the hanger. But if they're to slow, I'm leaving without them."

**Victoria**

The last three-in-a-half months have been a learning experience to say the least. 

The hunter sighed as she punched in coordinates to her ship console. There was a message that blinked back at her - Zealot and another member of their clan, Cheesecake-2, were in transit as well. They would group up on Luna to run an important mission personally requested by the Speaker. His urgency in the audio prompted her to call for a full fireteam. Safety in numbers. Plus venturing to the moon, alone, last time earned her a two-hour lecture. Kian made it very clear that no one goes there by themselves. Not after the events they called the Great Disaster - a catastrophe where hundred of lightbearers lost their light and lives...for good. 

Victoria leaned back in the seat and stared aimlessly out the window. Since her rebirth, she could feel herself changing. Growing. The Light inside her was a roaring flame, burning ever brighter with every new experience she gained.

Her first days were spent under the tutelage of Zealot - honing her skills and learning to control her super. She had the power, that was never in question, but controlling it was another matter. Her first time summoning a fiery golden gun since her initial scrap with the fallen was... well let's just say if Zealot didn't intervene, there would've been a scorching hole in Happy Home's living quarters. Or even in some of the other clan members. She winced at the memory. Zealot had taken the brunt of her shot, filling her nose with the smell of burnt wires and smoldering metal as he kept up a void shield up around them. 

Yet he never chastised her for it - never blamed her that day. Only the softest “try again” when his ghost appeared to patch him up. It was just who he was, she’d come to realize.

Having been paired with the titan as her mentor had been strange at first, as she was a hunter and thought to work under another of her own. But classes didn't matter, not to Zealot. Still, it took an adjustment period to get used to the exo's teaching methods. His long silences often made her wonder if she was doing things right, or very wrong. 

"Cheesecake is spamming the channel again," Spectre moaned as he materialized next to her. "Better see what she wants." 

Victoria offered him a smile as she pulled up the ship overlay. 

**> REMOTE VANGUARD DATABASE SUB-NET: FIRETEAM CHERRY BOMB**  
**> WELCOME, USER " _SOLARVLAIRE_ "  
> RECORD-12.** **8.763**

**>** **"ARCFLAVOR2"  
** _Victoria!_  
_Victoria!_  
_Heyyyy!_  
_Did you see my messages??_

**> "SOLARVLAIRE"**  
_I see them, Cheese._

**> "ARCFLAVOR2"**  
_GREAT! Soooo what's the word? What's the plan!??_

**> "SOLARVLAIRE"**  
_We gotta find where the hive are doing their ritual. Speaker said it was important._

**> "ARCFLAVOR2"**  
_:( Guess we're gonna have to check a billion tunnels down there...._

**> "SOLARVLAIRE"**  
_Once we get our ghosts in position, I believe we can triangulate and narrow down where it's at after a good, proper scan._

**> "ARCFLAVOR2"**  
_Thought you got one the last time you came, y'know when you broke quarantine and flew to luna.:0_

**> "SOLARVLAIRE"**  
_Only a partial sadly. We need to spread out to get a better scan._

**> "ARCFLAVOR2"**  
_oOoooooo Zealot isn't gonna like that!_

Victoria was about to respond, when she saw a flashing indicator from her console. They arrived. Pulling her hair into a bun and slipping on her helmet, the hunter gave a thumbs up. "Transmat me."

Boots kicked up grey dust as she landed on the desolate landscape that was the moon. She heard a click and acknowledgement over their fireteam comms as a titan and warlock materialized behind to her. Zealot gave her a nod and crouched down, pulling out a rifle to scope their surroundings. Cheesecake skipped over to her, head tilted slightly as she peered around. 

"Been awhile since we been here, huh," she murmured, more to herself than to Victoria. 

The hunter held up her palm as her ghost pulled up a map of the moon. The blue hologram of luna was riddled with dips and crevices, marking the presence of hive and eliksni battles that have long scarred the surface. She flicked her finger to swipe away the top level to an incomplete secondary map - the hive structures and chambers that have burrowed deep underground. Some parts have breached the surface in various locations, including the entrance to a place she visited before, known in the records as the Temple of Crota. But there have been considerably more sites built since guardians last stepped foot here. Cheesecake stared at the hologram, letting out a small whistle. "That's what you meant by partial scans." 

"Which is why," Victoria glanced at Zealot, who she knew was listening in. Exo hearing is good like that. "I think we need to split up to find the largest cracks and let our ghosts scan-" 

"No!" The exo was quick to get to his feet, turning to the two of them. But it wasn’t his voice that objected. Mystique materialized next to her guardian and wiggled her shell as if she was wagging an index finger at them. "Victoria, you know full well why we do _not_ split up fireteams. Especially on the moon - particularly around the _Hellmouth_. It's to dangerous." 

"Speaker said that there is something siphoning the Traveler's light, but the ritual could be happening in any of the chambers underground," she countered. "I would not ask this otherwise. I made a mistake coming here alone before, _I know_ , but I need you to trust me."

"If we get a full scan, we can pinpoint where the ritual is taking place," Spectre added quietly. 

"I know you mean well," the other ghost sighed, "but the fact of the matter is you're still an untried guardian. You have potential, Victoria, serious potential. Zealot and I both see it, but your judgement has room for improvement. Even if it's just to scan, it's still to much of a risk for you to be left alone." 

“But it’ll take to long to search every tunnel! The ritual-“ 

“Is not worth your life! We go in together or not at all. That is final-“ Zealot raised a hand, cupping the back of his ghost gently. The two turned to each other for a moment, an unspoken conversation starting between them. The bond of a guardian and ghost allowed for communication on a higher level. Much faster than comms sometimes and way more convenient. It didn't take long, as Zealot eventually looked back to her and shouldered his weapon. He moved to stand directly in front of Victoria, staring down at her from under his helmet. For her part, the hunter held his gaze - as intimidating as Zealot could be, she had over three months of getting used with him and would not back down. Not on this.

"If I allow this,” he began. Cheesecake glanced back and forth between the two of them, whispering quietly to her own ghost. “Constant communication between Mystique and Spectre at all times. Should anything go wrong, I pull us out and we leave.” There was no room for negotiation in his tone.

Victoria couldn’t help the smile that grew on her face, which was thankfully hidden under her helmet. But she reigned in her relief and nodded to her mentor. “I understand. I promise.” It was enough to placate the titan for now. With a small nod, he backed away to rejoin his ghost.

Mystique let out an exasperated sigh. “As always, I follow my guardian’s lead. Very well, let’s do this - it is your mission after all. The faster, the better. I don't like being in hive territory.” 

* * *

She made good on her promise to keep in constant radio contact. After taking their sparrows to spread out across the moon and finding the largest cracks possible, Spectre confirmed the readings he received from Mystique and Spoon. Victoria watched as her ghost compiled their information, forming a complete map of the tunnels in this sector of luna. It was still difficult to nail down the exact position, but he ruled out a majority of locations. It eventually led her back to the entrance of the temple of Crota, the place she discovered during her first visit.

Her ghost confirmed this would be the most direct route to the chamber, much to her amusement. Of course it was. Fate is funny like that.

Victoria remained back on a high ridge behind a cluster of boulders, carefully away from the door as she waited for her companions. So far things have been fairly quiet. It was unusual. Minus a small band of pike-driving fallen patrols, there was little else that barred their mission. Though it would quickly change once they breach the underground sanctum. 

Victoria was checking over her gear when she heard a crackle on the comms. She leaned forward, tapping her helmet. "Zealot? Cheese? That you?" 

"Someone is trying to establish contact," Spectre confirmed. "Let me try to boost it. Switching to alternate channel - it may be the Speaker again." 

"This is Victoria of the Last City, come in." She waited. The hunter was met with static and white noise. "Can you hear me? This is Victoria of the Last City, please respond." 

"I can't keep the signal, there's to much interference..." 

"Hold on, let me get out into the open." Victoria leapt off the ridge and down into the open canyon below. She eyed the door as she carefully inched closer. No movement from inside yet. She was still a safe enough distance.

A wave of deja vu hit her. This was almost the exact same spot where she found a corpse of another guardian that had broken quarantine long before her. Except they were not so lucky. She remembered her ghost asking where theirs was and then...

_Her ghost hovered closer to the strange door, scanning the alien markings on them. She crouched down to place a hand on the fallen guardian's shoulder, bowing her head in respect, before moving to secure the body. Placing down transmat beacons, she synched the code to her ship and transmatted the nameless lightbearer's corpse to the cargo hold. They would remain there until she was done. Victoria would see to it they returned home and properly buried. After a few seconds, the body dissipated before her. She sighed, grabbing her beacons and standing back up._

_The sudden sound of rocks tumbling down the canyon side jerked her attention behind her._

_She whirled around to spot someone staring at her from atop the ridge. They were exo, but most of their face was obscured under a navy colored hood and rifle hanging in one hand to their side. The stranger tilted their head slightly, curious, but made no move to get closer. Or speak._

_Victoria couldn’t place where, but she could’ve sworn she saw them before. It was hard to tell from a distance. Maybe in the Last City? Or..._

_"Ahhh!" She turned her head back to her ghost and saw the markings on the door begin to glow. Spectre's shell whirled around nervously before he retreated back into her cowl. "It just started glowing on it's own!" Victoria backed up a few steps as the chains with alien glyphs started to melt before her eyes and glanced to the ridge once more._

_The stranger was gone._

"Try again." Her ghost bobbed in understanding. It's shell expanded out to a small bubble of light, pieces of it's fins spinning around it's exposed center. It was only a hunch, but she decided to test her instinct. "This is-"

" _I'm well aware of who you are, Victoria,_ " a cool, metallic voice responded, crackling heavily with static. She knew it. Victoria scanned their surroundings but it looked to be just her and her ghost. Their mysterious friend was probably not even on the moon. " _You're interesting. Not entirely interesting, but... you have potential._ "

"So I've been told," she muttered. "You're the one I saw on the ridge weren't you?" 

They didn't respond for a moment, but oh so quietly, she murmured a reply - soft enough that Victoria almost missed it if she hadn’t been paying attention. ".. _You're just as sharp as you always were_."

A chill ran down her spine. That was not what she expected to hear. "Do we know each other?" 

" _No, not anymore. I know of you though - your kind. And I know what you're about to do. It's brave._ " 

“Can you help us?” Noise that sounded much like a pair of sparrows could be heard, echoing off the walls of the grey canyon. Zealot and Cheese were close. They would be there in just a few moments.

“ _No_...” They sound almost regretful. “ _This is your task, I cannot interfere yet. But I will tell you this: go down and face the Hive, and if you live, come find me_.“ The line fizzled and well into white noise once more, cutting off Victoria’s protest. They were gone. 

Victoria looked up to see her companions race around the corner, pulling up next to her. Cheese jumped off with a whoop, throwing the hunter a thumbs up. She was practically shaking with excitement - her aura brimming with that infamous warlock curiosity. 

_‘I received some coordinates. Venus.’_ Spectre spoke, switching to their personal form of communication. She could feel his uncertainty regarding telling the others. They had already kept it a secret before. _‘Should we..?’_

_’No, we go down. We have to stop the hive first.’_ The hunter stared up at where she originally spotted the stranger exo. Something bugged her about this. She felt she needed to find out more about the exo and what she was doing there, but at the same time, she knew almost nothing. It could be a trap - there was an underlying warning to the strangers words. She would be stepping into something much bigger than she anticipated or can handle alone. Logic and instinct warred within Victoria before a hand on her shoulder anchored her back in the present. Zealot looked down at her, watching intensely. 

“Ready?” Was all he asked - there were a hundred of unspoken questions packed behind the singular word. 

“Let’s do this,” she replied. Zealot stared at her for a long moment, before giving a final nod and moving ahead to take point. Cheese did a gleeful little wriggle and hovered behind, weapon already drawn. 

Victoria closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and sprinted after them. 

Inside the structure was just as sickly and grotesque as she remembered. The walls were coated with barnacles and webbing, oozing with slime from some areas, like an open wound that was infected. The only light sources emanated from large ornate lanterns that swung from the ceilings. However, the deeper they went, the more pronounced the architecture was. Less rocky walls and more curved ceilings and gothic styled hallways. She remembered the comment that her ghost made about how there was an entire necropolis down here. He wasn't wrong. They were only navigating a portion of what could be more or less and entire underground city.

At first glance the areas they passed appeared random, but when she checked the map, she could recognize patterns amidst the chaos. There were distinct rooms dedicated... to who knows what, but still, they existed. There was organization - a hierarchy cemented here. Even if she didn't understand it yet, she knew they were smarter than they appear. After all, one of their own so-called gods felled many of her kind centuries ago. And they turned this moon into one of their colonies. 

But... why? Was there something they want? Or are they simply hell-bent on seeking destruction of humanity? 

As they entered another new chamber, they were greeted with the sight of a large construct that sat in the center of the room. It's familiar shape caught Victoria's attention. "A hive Seeder..."

"Damn, looks like that one is almost prepped for take off," Cheese said as she pulled up one of her overlays. "Yup, records show an exact match to the one seen in Old Russia. Yikes. I wonder if.." The warlock launched herself into the air, hovering around one of the cables the Seeder ship. She hummed to herself as she pulled out something and stuck it to the underside. After floating back down, Victoria threw her a questioning look. 

"Juuust a little parting gift when we leave." 

They pushed further into the hive fortress, passing a few passageways that Victoria recognized. She knew they were nearing an area she'd visited before. A place from her first time here: The World's Grave. Before, it had been heavily armored by a keeper of notable standing: a Hive knight and his entourage that have long since been defeated. Now a few acolytes and a pair of lower class knights patrolled the room, while a group of smaller hive, known as thrall, were nestled in the darkest corner, preoccupied with whatever became their newest meal. It was the first real presence of significant hive since their decent.

Still, they will notice them sooner or later. Wasting no time, the trio leapt from their vantage point, showering the room in an array of light and firepower. They were met by strangled howls of surprise and anger as the guardians made quick work of their enemies. The acolytes fell where they stood, never standing a chance to the shower of bullets that reigned down. Victoria had conjured a fiery dagger of light and flung it at one of the knights before they could raise their shield, hitting them with a satisfying thump.

Beside her, Cheese snapped her fingers as an arc bullet shot from them and ricocheted off the aggravated swarm of thrall. They dropped to the ground, twitching from the aftershocks. The remaining knight attempted to flee but was stopped short by Zealot as he raised his shotgun and fired a single, well placed shot, killing the knight instantly. So far, so good. 

"This way guys!" She beckoned them from the opposite end of the room, pointing to an archway that veered off to the right. A winding stairwell led the fireteam down another level, opening up to a similar room, filled with another measly group of hive. After taking care of them, Victoria noticed a large door within a small hallway at the end. Her map insistently pinged at her. That had to be it. 

"Do you feel it?" Mystique materialized next to her guardian.

"Yup, that's some nasty stuff in there," Spoon, Cheesecake's ghost replied. 

"The darkest of all the Hive's chambers thus far," Spectre agreed. "It's in there. Be ready." 

Despite her ghost's warning, Victoria could never prepare herself for what lay beyond the door. As it slid open, a thick aura pooled from within. It was suffocating. She could feel the malicious and hatred from the hive choking on her light, drowning it out. There was a small tingle as well, like something was also pulling at her light, trying to take it from her. She shuddered. 

Within, three distinct looking hive - wizards as they were referred to in the archives - were in a trance around a shard of some sort. A tether of light bound them to the shard as they worked, chanting in a language unbeknownst to her. Zealot took a testing step forward, but the hive didn't notice - they were completely entranced in their ritual. 

"Think if we sneak around, we can get the jump on them?" She asked Zealot. Cheese gave a small snicker. 

"Quietly," was his only warning as he moved to reach the farthest wizard. Victoria crouched down, vaulting to the nearest pillar, trying not to gag in the process. The aura not only pressed down on her, it smelled too. Like death and rot. She'd need to take a shower after this to get rid of the putrid smell. Cheesecake snuck around to the left of her as Zealot settled into his position on her right. She peered around the side, taking aim with her rifle. 

Zealot raised two fingers from his shotgun out of the corner of her vision. Not yet. Hold. 

The wizard's chanting grew more frantic. They were nearing completion.

One.

The shard shuddered under the think black covering that surrounded it. 

Two.

The titan flicked his fingers forward. _Now_!

Victoria held down the trigger as they fired upon the unsuspecting hive. All three wizards crumpled to the ground, cutting off their ritual, but not before one let out an ear-piecing shriek as it died. The scream reverberated through the room and beyond. For a moment, silence filled the room. Then as if answering the dying wizard's call, a cacophony of screeches filled the air. Uh oh...

They had no time to waste.

"Cheese, get to that console and tell us what the hell we're looking at! Speaker needed to know what they were doing," Victoria shouted to the warlock. Zealot jumped down from his spot to rejoin his student. "Zealot, we need to hold them off until she gets the information we need."

He answered by holding up his fist, bright with a violet glow. He was ready. 

As the door on the opposite end opened, thrall and acolytes spilled in. Victoria swapped to her handcanon and started firing rounds as the titan threw up a shield to buffer them from the swarm. The first wave was easily repelled, but the steadily growing numbers allowed for a few to slip past. The hunter saw as one climb up to the second floor and flung another knife, pinning them to the nearby wall, before they could reach the warlock above. 

"Cheese, how's it looking??"

"Hey my language major was vex, not hive, so it's taking me a bit to translate everything," the warlock shot back. "Give me a couple more minutes!" 

There was a low growl as the whole room shook. Behind a group of oncoming knights, stood a larger, more imposing hive. Traces of what was once a thrall were overshadowed by the bloated enlarged masses that grew on the creature's back and legs. It's head, now semi-translucent, showed pulsating glowing organs underneath. Rods of metal pierced various places on it's red chitin, clear signs of brutal torture. Pain and suffering was all it knew. Seeds of the rebirthing ritual that Victoria read about, where chosen thrall were chosen to become sacrifices. Reborn as abominations until they prove themselves again. 

Ogres. 

"Cheese we're out of time!"

Both guardians leapt to the side as a beam of pure void energy burst from the creature's forehead, straight at them. Victoria tossed a grenade as she jumped behind a pillar, taking out a few more hive. She heard Cheese yelp from above as they ducked behind the console to avoid being incinerated on sight. Knights, acolytes and thrall were much easier to deal with. They didn't have machine-gun like death beams strapped to their foreheads, making this now increasingly more difficult. There was no way they could leave with that thing in their path. It had to die.

"Oh for the love of- Hey Victoria! Think you could blind them with one of your flame bullets?" The hunter heard her companion yell across the room. She peeked around the pillar to see the warlock crouched, but her hands out in front of her. Sparks of electricity danced between them with increased frequency. Charging. 

Victoria knew instantly. "Zealot cover me!" As she dashed out into the open and raised her hand high. Light answered her call, albeit a little more slowly, as warmth spread across her fingers. The hive howled as the sudden burst of light erupting from her hand. She aimed and fired a single shot. Embers of light eviscerated the pool of hive, causing the ogre to stumble back. It raised it's own hands to cover it's face, despite having no eyes. Right where she wanted it.

A blur of movement above as the hunter to looked up, seeing Cheesecake fly forward. She could feel the hair on her skin raise in response to the growing arc energy. Cheese slammed to the ground and with a yell, she raised her arms once more to unleash a barrage of crackling lightning. The lightning sought out the metal rods implanted throughout the ogre's body, lighting it up in a deadly display. Any remaining hive were incinerated immediately. The ogre roared, clawing at itself helplessly as the lightning made its way through it's body. 

With an unceremoniously pop, the lightning escaped through it's translucent head, sending pieces flying as it fell backwards. 

Cheese blew on her fingers. "Mm, crispy." 

"Can you not say it like that?" Victoria grimaced. Zealot gave a small, singular shake of his head. 

"What? I thought it was funny," Cheese whined, crossing her arms.

"Anyways," the hunter brushed off bits of hive gunk as she looked up at the shard which remained hovering in the center of the room. "Did you figure out what they're trying to do with whatever that is? Is it a conduit?" 

"Oh! Yeah! You're gonna love this," the warlock pulled up her overlay of hive glyphs. "This shard isn't of hive make. They were feeding on it, consuming it and using it to hurt the Traveler. It's a piece of our slumbering god herself!"

Spectre materialized and flew up next to the shard, scanning it. Their shell gave a little flutter when they gasped. "Yes, I can feel it. It's a piece of the Traveler! We must cleanse it of the hive stink however-"

He cut himself off, turning his shell to look at them. His optic, however, was fixated on a place beyond them. “Mystique. Spoon.”

“Yes,” came a unison of voices. They shimmered into existence, fluttering and spinning in tandem of each other. 

Victoria watched with amazement how the three of them, so vastly different in personalities, came together in sudden perfect synchronization. She reminds herself that at one point they were all single being, the Traveler itself. The other two ghosts joined him in surrounding the lost shard. With the hum of their shells, they began to expand outwards.

Light pulsated off them in waves, washing over the shard. Slowly the black blanket of hive magic washed away under their careful watch. The shard was dispelled of any corruption.

Even when the darkness tries to take away, light is never truly lost. The thought brought a strange comfort to Victoria. She had a strange feeling she must remember that in the days to come. 

"Plant the transmat beacons. Speaker will want to see this right away," Victoria said as their ghosts returned to them. She opened up her overlay and typed up a message. 

**> REMOTE VANGUARD DATABASE SUB-NET: DIRECTIVE.LASTCITY.SPEAKER**  
**> WELCOME, USER " _SOLARVLAIRE_ "  
> RECORD-12.** **8.763**

**> SOLARVLAIRE**  
_Request audience. Found something. Need your guidance._

As they made their way back to the surface, Cheese's notification went off. She opened up her overlays and after a few moments, did a fist pump.

”What’s got you in such a good mood?” Victoria asked. 

"Well that was fun and all, but looks like I'm being summoned away."

"What about filing the report to the Vanguard?"

"Ikora is more open to e-mails when it comes to Warlock protocol. She knows the value of our.. continuous pursuits. So either way, ta-ta, guys!" Cheese gave a little wave as she transmatted away. “See ya around, yeah?”

Victoria gave a little wave as the warlock disappeared. She looked back to Zealot - just the two of them now. He stayed a good bit behind, should any surprises jump out at them as they exited. Once they exited the temple, he resumed a place to her right. Staying close, but not to close. A show of trust in her abilities to hold her own if a fight broke out. Spectre gave her a questioning nudge in the back of her mind.

"I'm going to meet with the Speaker after we get everything sorted with the Vanguard," she said to him. "He's going to want to study the shard right away." 

The titan gave a nod, but otherwise didn't say anything. She swallowed. He had trusted her in this mission and more, despite her mess up. And he was her mentor. She looked up to him. _Trusts_ him. 

Victoria stopped. 

“Zealot, Mystique. There's something else I want to tell you. About today, well, about the moon in general,” she started, turning to face him fully. Look him straight-on. Don't hide it. A gesture titans respected. "There was someone else here. Not the scout I found, but someone.....different." 

"Another guardian?" Mystique asked.

"I don't think so. She looked exo from what little I could glimpse. And she... she contacted me. Told me to go to Venus," she held up the coordinates that Spectre saved. A small map showed it somewhere in the southern region of Venus - the ruins of the Ishtar Collective. "I can't really explain it, but I need to meet with her - hear her out. She _knew_ me so I have to find out the truth of what her existence could mean. But not alone. Will you come with me?"

She held out her hand to him. Waiting. The titan stared down at her outstretched palm, before he surprised her by taking it. Just a small clasp of their hand spoke volumes to her more than entire speech he could give. 

"Together," he nodded. 

**Shera**

The humid jungle was a constant struggle for Shera. Heat was something she never grew accustomed to, as frigid temperatures in the northern regions of earth were the norm during the early years of her rebirth. 

Venus is indeed a beautiful world, filled with ruins of both humanity and the vex - another mysterious race that has been around since before their golden age. They've yet to attempt transforming venus into another machine world, but the areas they've already converted were heavily guarded. Especially the mysterious Citadel that can be seen looming far about the ruins of the old Ishtar Academy. And her next priority - the infamous Vault of Glass..

Her ghost whirred around her as he transcribed their latest logs. Their forward camp had been mostly quiet, save a few scouts that pass through to pass along bounties and gather supplies. Ikora had been probing for one of the Warlocks to oversee this region but so many are to far involved with their own fireteams and research to commit. Cheese had made a passing note of interest though. Perhaps she would relay that to their Vanguard. 

There was a steady growling of sparrow engines as a pair of guardians came over the hill and skidded to a stop just outside the perimeter. Shera blinked. 

"Zealot? Victoria? What are you two doing here?" She asked, setting down her tablet to offer a hand clasp in greeting to her two clanmates. Victoria pulled off her helmet and motioned for her ghost to subspace it. She gave the awoken a small smile. "We're just here on some personal business. Ishtar ruins."

"I hope you're careful when you go there. Heavy vex presence and eliksni - House Winter. But more importantly, don't go blasting wildly. There's an untold trove of history that we've yet to uncover. The cryptarchs would have our heads if we disturb more than we should."

"I promise that we will try not to break anything," the hunter tilted her head. "Are you out here cataloging?" 

"Yes, broke into the Archive underneath the city, but Winter has made things difficult," Shera made an annoyed sound with her mouth. "They are gutting and stripping things away without any concern for the knowledge that lay dormant." 

"Need us to do anything?" Zealot made a point to crack a knuckle - something that fascinated her since he was an exo. The humanisms they carry are truly extraordinary. 

"Oh, thanks but I got fireteams out there keeping them at bay, plus Jessie and Mantis are coming to help later." Victoria raised an eyebrow at that.

"How did you..."

"Get anyone to work or listen to a member of our prestigious clan? Out here, it's not like we broadcast what clan we're a part of. So far, no one's recognized where I'm from and with the order of Ikora, most of the warlocks listen regardless," Shera answered with a shrug. She didn't say it aloud but they've all had experiences with other not so friendly guardians that scoffed at their unusual group. The whispers quieted a bit when word got out that Zealot was a part of the clan, but that never fully quelled the gossip. 

"If you need us, you know we'll be planetside. We'll try to stop back by once we're done."

"Safe travels, guardians." Shera gave them a nod and wave as the two hopped back onto their sparrows and drove off in the direction of the ruins. Once they were out of earshot, Shayar materialized atop her shoulder. "You failed to mention our other, secondary objective." 

"They needn't know. I want to see if my hunch is right. If the ripples we encountered months ago would happen again around her." The awoken crossed her arms and squinted up. The nearby mountain was constantly spewing out bright blue lava - indicating heavy presence of condensed sulfuric gases, but it was no danger to the guardian's activities. She watched as another bubble of slowly made it's way down the slope. Her comms beeped. 

Shera opened the line. "Shera speaking." 

" _Shera_ , _I just picked up Mantis_. _You said you need us for_ _somethin_ '," she heard a fellow associate of their clan, a hunter named Jessie on the other end. That's right, her first mission took priority.

"We have a little problem that decided to set it's shop up nearby. A problem that's in the form of a ketch." 

" _House_ _Winter_?"

"The one and only. And I think their Kell is nearby, but first we're going to have to make some noise." 

" _Understood_. _Be_ _there_ _soon_." The line went dead, leaving Shera alone with only her ghost once more. So many problems. The eliksni, the vex, the hive. They were all interwoven on some level beyond her comprehension - yet linked by one ulterior force. Their true enemy. She's just going to have to take care of the pawns one by one until they could reach it. 

"Shera, the indicator is going off again," Shayar reported. "Just like you theorized. The ripples are present on Venus."

Starting with that one.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Cheesecake-2 and Mantis belong to Lindel
> 
> Blackborne belongs to biozonic
> 
> Jessie belongs to mrdraws  
> -  
> I swear I will post faster than this alsdkfjasldkf


End file.
